Website Design

The Music Co-Op has been "Active Since April 1985"

This site has been designed and is maintained voluntarily
and free of charge by Simon Tyrell of "Into Vision Web Design" a musician of the band "IntoVision" and good friend of the founders of the Lancaster
Music Co-op from way back in the 80's

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LMC Home & History - Opened in 1985 -

Wanted:Band photographs for inclusion in a film we're making about the history of The Music Co-Op.

As a non-profit making organization dedicated to providing musical services at affordable rates. Presently operated by David and Ian, we regularly provide our users the chance to perform at specially organized events, and have produced a series of CDs featuring the best of the area's music. The well equipped studio has a legendary chilled atmosphere and many bands return time after time to enjoy the vibe. For your safety all our rooms are fitted with power breakers. We also have 4 rehearsal rooms, storage facilities and equipment for hire.

History:

LMC was opened in 1985 as a non-profit making organization dedicated to
providing musical services at affordable rates. Has regularly provide
users the chance to perform at specially organized events and produced a
series of CDs featuring the best of the area's music.

Unable to find anywhere to practise in Lancaster in the mid 80s, a
group of like-minded musicians decided to make their own arrangements.
The music mad collective - who were students from Lancaster University -
opened up their own rehearsal studios. The aim was to provide budding
musicians from the Lancaster area somewhere to play.

Initial funding provided by the North West Arts Council enabled the
group to build two rehearsal rooms in 1985. Twenty five years on and the
Lancaster Musicians' Co-op is still offering bands somewhere to
rehearse and record music.

Heyday

The co-op boasts an impressive list of bands who have passed through
the doors since its launch including keyboard player Mark Hunter - who
was in Manchester band James in its heyday - and Paul 'The Rev' James
from Towers of London and Prodigy.

The Rev, who grew up in Morecambe, was 15 when he recorded his first
demo there with The Bottle Necks. He then practised twice a week at the
co-op with Awaken and then The God's Directors before moving to London
in 2003.

Paul describes the enterprise as "a fantastic place great for all types of musicians".

He says getting studio experience there so early in his career contributed to his success:

"Without those facilities on my doorstep I wouldn't have made it to
where I am. I really don't know what I would have done if that place
wasn't there because there was nowhere else to go in Lancaster." Paul
'The Rev' James

The significance of the co-operative is not lost on emerging bands
either. Electric Free Time Machine's guitarist Dave George says it plays
an essential role in Lancaster's music scene.

"We have recorded both our EPs there and the place is amazing," says
Dave. "Virtually everyone who plays music in Lancaster benefits from it
in one way or another; from brilliant value recording facilities to
saving countless gigs by providing last minute equipment hire."

Lancaster indie band Uncle Jeff says the place has been a good friend
to the band. Frontman Stephen Hudson says: "We recorded our first demo
there with Mick Armistead. It was an awesome experience.

"It's a really valuable resource for a lot of folk in Lancaster."

'Crank up the volume'

While it may have nurtured budding musicians, it wasn't set up as "a
talent factory" says one of the founders. Lorenzo Salzano explains the
ethos of the Lancaster Musicians' Co-op: "It was more somewhere to play
where you could crank up the volume and make a lot of noise without
disturbing the neighbours."

While proud it is still going strong, Lorenzo is surprised the original building is a quarter of a century on.

"Lancaster City Council offered us the building because the back wall
was falling down so they said we could have it until it was to be
demolished."

Lorenzo now lives in Nottingham and works in IT but he's still into
music; he plays in a band called Pavlova in his spare time and keeps in
touch with the work of the co-operative.

Rectify

He says he is delighted it continues to serve a section of the community as they set out to do 25 years ago.

While the association is a self-financed non-profit group run by Dave
Blackwell and Ian Dicken, the future for the place isn't totally
certain. They haven't managed to gain a long term lease or managed to
buy the building that they occupy; something Dave says they want to
rectify.

"We want to secure a future for the co-op so that we will be there for future bands to rehearse and record at."

To mark the 25th anniversary of the co-operative, they are planning a
series of events to celebrate the work of the group including a spring
clean day!

Dave says: "We are planning benefit gigs as well as clean up days
where people will be invited in to help us re-paint and generally
improve the facilities."